Yardbarker: Alan Faneca

NFL Season Preview: New York Jets

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:49:52 -0500

The Jets have been spending the past few months trying to fit a three-year rebuilding mode into just one offseason. Last season, they were one of the laughing-stocks of the NFL, but they made plenty of moves to improve their team. They bolstered their offensive line in free agency and helped their defense in the draft. So what is all the help going to bring them for next season? www.rawsportsblog.com

Fantasy Insider: How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:12 -0500

How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper is a knack that could make or break your fantasy team. Daniel Kalles gives all you fantasy owners a "How To" locate and find fantasy sleepers and plenty of time to exam the players you feel could be sleepers this season. Best of luck this season. As Daniel Kalles, The first thing you need to know about finding a "sleeper" is figuring out what a sleeper is. Many people will have many different explanations as to what a sleeper really is, where to find them and how important they are, but they will pretty much agree that a sleeper is someone who doesn't have a big name, probably doesn't start, hasn't put up big numbers in the past, who now might have a chance to have a breakout season and be a difference maker on your team. Sleepers are usually either late round draft picks or waiver-wire pick-ups who went undrafted. Now how to spot sleepers, when to draft them, and how long you wait until you believe they are actually worth putting in your lineup are all a little different. Having one of the few sleepers who pan out and be a worthy starter can make the difference in winning your league or not winning. No one starts off the season knowing which sleeper will for sure breakout; all you can do is try and draft one or two and hope that a couple of things fall your way and your sleeper goes from nobody to somebody just like that. It's very hard to go into the draft focused on the guys who will be drafted in the later rounds, but the truth is many drafts are won in the later rounds. If you can have a good draft from top to bottom, it will help you down the line; having a deep team will help you in the event of an injury or to make trades. It's not very difficult to draft players in the first bunch of rounds, guys like Alexander, Tomlinson, Owens, Moss, these players have a history, they have done it before, we can look at their numbers and see where they should be drafted, but a sleeper is different. Most sleepers haven't played enough to accumulate enough stats to make decisions on, so you have to take a small sample (if one exists) to figure out who might be the sleepers of this year's draft. There are many different places and ways to find sleepers. One way is to look for 2nd or 3rd year players who had a chance to play near the end of the year before. At the end of most seasons, the teams out of the playoff hunt will look at some young players, giving them starts and letting veterans sit out. Watching these players can sometimes give you a hint into who might be a good sleeper the next season, if they play a good game or two. Look at Willie Parker who was undrafted out of college and was sitting on the bench in 2004 when the Steelers went 15-1. In the last game of the season, once they had already clinched home field advantage, they decided to rest veteran running back Jerome Bettis, and see what Parker could do. He went into Buffalo, on a cold January Sunday, to face the hottest team in football. The Bills were looking to get a victory and a spot in the playoffs. Well, Parker gained 102 yards on only 19 carries, to help the Steelers win the game, and give anyone who was actually paying attention to this Steelers backup a 1200 yards rusher out of nowhere in 2005. Now this doesn't mean things will always work out for you, but it's a good way of finding a sleeper. Another way of finding a sleeper is to watch the player and coach movement in the off-season, and see which players have been put in situations where they might be able to break out, with the help of certain coaches and their philosophies. A player who might have been going downhill in his career, or hasn't been able to find his way yet might be able to change that by being on a team whose system better suits their abilities. Koren Robinson is a good example. He's a former 1st round pick of the Seahawks, and while he had a couple of solid seasons with them (78 for 1240 yards and 5 TD's in 2002), he was let go at the end of 2004 because of off-field and poor behavior issues. He latched on to the Vikings as their top return man and part time WR. During the off-season they hired new head coach Brad Childress, who brings with him his West Coast offense, and they traded Nate Burleson, leaving the spot of #1 WR open. With those and many other changes the Vikings made on offense, they go into the season looking for players to step up and be leaders. Robinson has a good chance of doing that because he is a step ahead of most of the other WR's because he played in the West Coast offense while in Seattle. He could be in for a very big season. While all this looks good and could very well happen, many times it doesn't, and guys like Robinson will always be picked up for his potential, but might never realize it, because he can't control his other issues. These are just a couple of the many ways to find a sleeper. So, make sure to always pay attention to injury situations, and follow closely what players are doing at training camp. Doing this can help you find many sleepers. Lastly, don't forget that you can still find sleepers after the draft in the first couple of weeks of the season. If you see a player break out and do better then expected, don't sit on the sidelines and watch - make an effort to pick them up and see if they can sustain that output. Or if you know that a starting player has any injury at all, make sure you're the one to get anyone who might back that player up, because once a player goes down, whoever takes over can be a real steal.

2008 Fantasy Football Projections- New York Jets

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:27:24 -0500

After coming off an impressive 10-6 campaign in 2006, everyone thought the New York Jets would compete with the New England Patriots for the AFC East title, but inconsistency on both sides of the football led to a disappointing 2007 season. The Jets finished with a 4--12 record, lost eight of their first 9 games and failed to win consecutive games. A big issues that led to the Jets downfall was the play at quarterback. Chad Pennington started the season under center, but battled injury as well as rocky play which eventually led to the Kellen Clemens era in New York. However, Clemens failed to find his groove and could manage just five touchdown passes in 10 games. Newly acquired running back Thomas Jones surpassed the 1,000 rushing yard mark, but it took him twelve games until he scored his first touchdown in a Jets uniform. To read the rest more about what Bruno Boys Co-Owner Marc Caviglia has to say about the New York Jets and their fantasy football projections for the 2008 season, click below...

2008 Fantasy Football Projections - Pittsburgh Steelers

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:20:56 -0500

The Pittsburgh Steelers were solid as usual in 2007, winning games and making it to the playoffs with stifling defense and a less-than-usual conservative offense under first-year coach Mike Tomlin. Offensively, the Steelers flashed some new formations but for the most part stuck to their tried-and-true formula of running the ball, racking up 511 carries for 2,151 yards. Willie Parker rushed 321 times for 1,316 yards but had just two touchdowns while backup and spot starter Najeh Davenport had 107 carries for 499 yards and five touchdowns. Hines Ward had a typical season, catching 71 passes for 732 yards and seven touchdowns. Second year wide receiver Santonio Holmes only caught three more passes in 2007 than his rookie year but went for 118 more yards and six more touchdowns. Tight end Heath Miller had his... Make sure to read more of what Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff writer Cory Steger has to say about the New York Jets heading into the 2008 season by clicking below...

“The Big Kid” Ranked The 5th Best Guard In The NFL

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:21:35 -0500

According to New Era Scouting, Eagles right guard Shawn Andrews is the 5th best guard in the entire NFL. Ahead of him on the list are Eric Steinbach of the Browns, Steve Hutchinson of the Vikings, Alan Faneca of the Jets, and Brian Waters of the Chiefs. Rounding out the top ten are Leonard Davis [...]

MANUFACTURED JOY - NEW YORK JETS

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:30:15 -0500

by Zac, Throwing Into Traffic

Manufactured Joy is a series in which we'll be going through the NFL team by team, from the bottom to the top, and giving fans five good reasons why they should be excited to watch their team in action this season. Today, the New York Jets.

1. Gh-Gh-Gh-GHOLSTON!

Crappy old cartoon references aside, DE Vernon Gholston, who will likely be converted to an OLB in the Jets 3-4 scheme, is the most high risk/high reward player of the draft. At various points, scouts had him being considered with the number one overall pick. As it turns out, he went as low as he could have gone (given who was on the board), and the Jets may have gotten the draft's best player at the sixth pick. Then again, they could have also gotten its biggest bust. Gholston's physical gifts are well known; pound for pound, there was not a single athlete in this draft more naturally gifted. Equally obvious is his potential for taking games over, as when he wanted to, he was unstoppable (the game against Michigan was a thing of beauty). The trouble is that both his natural gifts and his drive to overpower opponents seemed to disappear inexplicably at times. The optimistic outlook is that it's hard to stay motivated to compete when you can beat the competition without trying that hard, and that a move to the pros with the right coaching will only allow Gholston to find new ways to use his physical gifts. The pessimistic side of that coin is that if he wasn't that motivated to consistently perform in order to get to the league, why should we assume he'll suddenly turn it on now that money has started falling from the sky. Still, he's entering the right system, with a coach who once showed an amazing ability to get the most out of his personnel (Mangini's first year was remarkable for what he did with that defense). Whether he can get it together or not, he chance that he might makes him worth watching this season.

2. The Jets didn't get McFadden!

And yes, I do mean that as a positive. I really like McFadden, but this defense needed the kind of kick in the ass that Gholston has the potential to give it. Don't get me wrong, I think every team should have the kind of fast, sneaky back who can turn short receptions into home runs and confuse defenses…and the Jets already have that in "Neon" Leon Washington. For those of you who have missed out on the steal of the 2006 draft, Washington is basically Reggie Bush except several million dollars cheaper. He can run, he can catch passes, he returns kicks, and the Jets even lined him up and ran the option every once in a while last year (further raising the question: WHY DO THEY STILL HAVE BRAD SMITH?!?). It was bad enough last year when it looked like Mangini and the gang were trying to find ways to ignore their offense's most potent threat, and getting McFadden would have made it worse. The NFL isn't about saving special talents for every sixth play; it's about wringing them dry and bathing in the glory. Year three is where Washington gets some recognition for the speed he shows at his position, not just kick returns.

3. Cautious optimism regarding Thomas Jones!

Dear Thomas Jones,

I know in the past I've said some negative things about you. Ok, I've said some very negative things about you. Ok, there may or may not be a tag on my blog labeled "Zac's Hatred" in which you get top billing. That's neither here nor there. What's important is that I am tentatively, cautiously, anxiously optimistic about your upcoming season. I mean, when you had a very good offensive line to run behind in Chicago, you were a thoroughly above-average back. Hell, you averaged over four yards a carry. I can't even imagine that. Literally, I can't picture you taking a ball and moving forward with it more than four yards without my ears starting to bleed. Still, it happened. And it can happen again. The Jets brought in OG Alan Faneca (who is also an offensive guard), and with both C Nick Mangold and LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson entering their third year, the line, or at least the left side of the line, could be very, very good. So how about this: I'll stop saying mean things about you, and you stop being…well…being like you. Deal.

4. Handsome Chad for QB!

It is such bullshit that Tom Brady gets all the "dreamboat" talk, because everyone who watches AFC East football knows that the real catch of the division is Chad Pennington. Sure, Brady is a good looking guy, and he's easy to fall in love with; then he knocks you up and disappears into the vapors leaving a trail of smoke and a press release saying "we're thrilled to work together on this." Meanwhile, Chad Pennington is the kind of gee shucks guy you can bring home to mom. Also, he's not a bad QB. Say what you will about his arm strength, but they didn't lose last year because of his shoulder surgeries (they lost because it's not fair to ask ANY quarterback, no matter how strong, to consistently put up 30 or more). Hell, with the same arm he was the Comeback Player of the Year in 2006. Furthermore, he's also the smartest QB on the roster, and is likely to have more time to work through his reads, which is always a good thing for an intelligent QB. Chad is still an incredibly accurate QB who has no problems working a mid range pass, and really, who on this team is catching the deep stuff anyway? I like Laveranues Coles, but he's still the best number two receiver trapped in a number one spot, and nothing more. The fact that the Jets didn't really make any moves to improve the pass game (outside of the obvious move of dropping Justin McCareins) means that the mid range pass is king once more in NY, and the best man for that job is Handsome Chad.

5. But if not him, then The American Dream Kellen Clemens for QB!

Let me tell you all the story of a young man named Kellen Clemens, who grew up in a small town in Oregon and got on a bus with nothing but a lunchbox, a big arm, and a dream, and left in search of stardom in the bright lights of New York City. Coming back to reality, year one of the Kellen Clemens experiment, perhaps its only year, was a rough one. Like, worst QB rating in the league rough. Like, throw one TD pass to ten interceptions rough. Still, it's not entirely fair to judge Clemens on one half-season in which an already out of the playoffs team was thrown on his back, the defense was miserable, the offensive line was in shambles, Thomas Jones was his running back (crap…forget I said that, Thomas), Justin McCareins was special olympicizing his way through his number two receiver role, and, well, he really didn't seem ready to start. The truth is, Clemens showed, in spurts, the kind of athleticism that can buy time in the pocket, and there's no question about his arm strength (seriously, Kellen, not everything has to come out hot…we know you've got the strongest arm on the team). Personally, I'm a Chad fan, but I wouldn't be surprised if Clemens is able to turn a revamped line and a year under center into smarter decisions and a productive use of his many athletic gifts. Besides, QB BATTLE IN THE PARKING LOT!!!

Thomas Jones: 2008 Fantasy Sleeper

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:55:11 -0500

With an improved offensive line, and little backfield competition, Thomas Jones is due for a bounce back season.

Changing Of The Guard

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:28:17 -0500

Offensive line has been a sore spot for the Jets the past couple of years. In the last decade or so the Jets have found success drafting mid round lineman like Jason Fabini, Ryan Young, and Kareem McKenzie, but lately the replenishing of the line has placed the Jets in a much higher tax bracket. First rounders Brick Ferguson and Nick Mangold in 2006 and this offseason super guard Alan Faneca. The Faneca signing will be the most important free agent signing in the league as history suggests it is this position that translates into W's and immediate and substantial dividends in the ground game rankings. Faneca will also be much more than a single position upgrade over uber whiner Pete Kendall. He'll be the mentor and on field coach that will continue to make Ferguson and Mangold two of the leagues best young players on the offensive line. While the line has been solidified since the start of free agency it appears that the Jets front office needed some impact additions as well. Who knew? The biggest news was the hiring of an aisstant general manager. It doesn't appear that Scott Cohen — the man Mike Tannenbaum tapped — has any prior connections to Tannenbaum or the organization but at the very least he comes from a solid front office and winning franchise so that can't hurt.

Changing Of The Guard

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:28:17 -0500

Myron Cope: To Infinity And Beyond!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:50:55 -0500

I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. Don't ask me to specify which science. I just knew "scientist" sounded like a pretty cool job. Plus, there was always the hope I would some day get accidentally bombarded by gamma radiation. Then came calculus and I quickly realized "scientist" might not be my intended career path after all. I still admire what they do. When I was at Carnegie Mellon, I was always eager to hear about their advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. When our evil metallic overlords rise up to enslave us all, you can safely direct a large amount of the blame toward that fine institution. I also enjoyed hearing about how their robotic creations were used to find and explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before… Of course, some scientists do their exploring the old fashioned way. They use a big ass telescope. Recently, a Dr. Eric Mamajek , clearly a man of high moral character and good taste in that oasis of Massholes, peeked through his big ass telescope and saw something between Mars and Jupiter. They call it a "minor planet" although that sounds like calling something a "minor groin pull." Ain't nothing minor about either one. The International Astronomical Union, an organization which no doubt purchases pocket protectors in bulk, has officially named it 7835 Myroncope. Yes, Myron Cope has a planet named after him. A minor planet, but a planet nonetheless. No word yet on whether they plan to send a space probe over to plant a Terrible Towel in the soil. But they should. Other football related news: –Taking a cue from Carlton Haselrig, several Steelers decided to turn mini-camp practices into an MMA event last week. "I don't know, maybe they've been watching Georges Laraque," said OL Max Starks. No Max, if they'd been watching Laraque, they would've stood around watching other people start shit while waiting for the coach to tap them on the shoulder and remind them they're supposed to be an enforcer. –The Post-Gazette thinks Marvel Smith is in the same boat as Alan Faneca. I guess they're doing P.R. work for agents now. Sure, they're in the same boat. Unless you count the fact Faneca is a five-time Pro Bowler while Smith made it once and Faneca is relatively healthy while Smith is coming off major back surgery which caused him to pretty much miss the entire season last year. –Franco Harris spoke at Brashear High School. Meanwhile over in Hampton, Ben Roethlisberger visited Wyland Elementary. Luckily for Wyland, their second choice, Roger Clemens, declined their invitation. He already had a date for the weekend. —Ex-Steeler/Super Bowl Champion Plaxico Burress is holding out for more money. Who didn't see this one coming? He's an elite player when he's not missing every other game over some injury or totally disappearing in the playoffs. Burress did come up man-sized in bringing down the hated Patriots, though, so he'll always get my respect for that. –"Raven For Life," Jonathan Ogden retires. Know what that means? Whichever talentless scrub Baltimore decides to trot out there this season just got a little easier for us to sack. –The Bengals released both WR Chris Henry and LB Odell Thurman. If Cincinnati continues to remove all the criminals from their roster, they might not have enough players to field a team. –Bills RB Marshawn Lynch is in trouble over an alleged hit-and-run incident. The Curse of O.J. Simpson, perhaps?

Whatifsports AFC East Preview

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:15:35 -0500

In the first of a series, Whatifsports previews the AFC East by simulating the upcoming 2008 season, complete team analysis, projected scores, and fantasy notables. Can the Patriots bounce back from their Super Bowl loss? Can the Bills make the playoffs? Will Bill Parcells work his magic and make the Dolphins a winner? The supercomputer knows...

Important Qualities For An NFL Linemen

Fri, 23 May 2008 07:57:08 -0500

Being a top NFL linemen even a good quality linemen these days takes work and athleticism, especially with all the speedy powerful pass rushers coming off the edge tryin to lay out QB's on every down. Sh*t as Philly fans we have a few of em Runyan, Thomas, Andrews, we have been blessed and lucky, of course I'm discounting the turnstile game when Winston Justice was ran through by what seems like the entire Giants defense. No I'm not putting the whole thing on Him Andy should've realized he needed help. Anyway former NFL Linemen and now Si.com columnist tells us what makes a linemen good/great and eventually gets him to the pro-bowl.

New York Jets Offensive Line Analysis

Sat, 17 May 2008 15:22:27 -0500

This in depth analysis of the offensive line includes the projected starters for the upcoming season, statistics and injuries from the past season, an overview of players on the line and an outlook for the 2008 season.

1998 Draft 10 years later

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:32:17 -0500

while 1998 had its share of busts there were a few great ones as well also check out the article above if you click the link 1. Indianapolis Peyton Manning QB Active Comment: Prolific passer has Super Bowl victory to go with gaudy stats. 2. San Diego Ryan Leaf QB Retired Comment: Colossal bust retired after four seasons with 14 TDs and 36 INTs. 3. Arizona Andre Wadsworth DE Retired Comment: Knee injuries derailed his career almost before it began. 4. Oakland Charles Woodson CB Active Comment: Physical cover corner a mainstay of Packers defense. 5. Chicago Curtis Enis RB Retired Comment: Career lasted three seasons and 456 forgettable carries. 6. St. Louis Grant Wistrom DE Retired Comment: High-motor style helped Rams, Seahawks reach Super Bowls. 7. New Orleans Kyle Turley OT Retired Comment: Started 107 games over nine seasons before injuries took over. 8. Dallas Greg Ellis DE Active Comment: Solid starter coming off 12½ sack season, Pro Bowl appearance. 9. Jacksonville Fred Taylor RB Active Comment: Still going strong after 10,715 yards and 61 TDs. 10. Baltimore Duane Starks CB Retired Comment: Interception return for a TD helped Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV. 11. Philadelphia Tra Thomas OT Active Comment: Pro Bowl tackle anchors left side of Eagles' line. 12. Atlanta Keith Brooking OLB Active Comment: Pro Bowl linebacker hasn't missed a start in past seven seasons. 13. Cincinnati Takeo Spikes OLB Unsigned Comment: Injuries have prevented Spikes from maintaining Pro Bowl form. 14. Carolina Jason Peter DE Retired Comment: Neck issues forced him to retire after four seasons and 20 starts. 15. Seattle Anthony Simmons OLB Retired Comment: Never lived up to potential as part of underachieving defenses. 16. Tennessee Kevin Dyson WR Retired Comment: Played in a Super Bowl, but never exceeded 825 yards in a season. 17. Cincinnati Brian Simmons OLB Free agent Comment: Seasons with Bengals, Saints have made for unremarkable career. 18. New England Robert Edwards RB CFL Comment: Has spent time in CFL after blowing out knee in rookie game at Pro Bowl. 19. Green Bay Vonnie Holliday DE Active Comment: Solid starter has 51½ sacks for Packers, Chiefs and Dolphins. 20. Detroit Terry Fair CB Retired Comment: Started 48 games for Lions, but hasn't been a factor since 2001. 21. Minnesota Randy Moss WR Active Comment: Has posted seven seasons with at least 1,200 yards receiving. 22. New England Tebucky Jones FS Retired Comment: Won Super Bowl with Patriots, but never validated first-round status. 23. Oakland Mo Collins G Retired Comment: Helped Raiders reach Super Bowl, but career shortened by injuries. 24. N.Y. Giants Shaun Williams SS Retired Comment: Started four consecutive seasons for Giants before knee injuries intervened. 25. Jacksonville Donovin Darius SS Free agent Comment: Productive starter teamed with Deon Grant to anchor Jags' secondary. 26. Pittsburgh Alan Faneca G Active Comment: Pro Bowl guard signed massive free-agent deal with Jets last month. 27. Kansas City Victor Riley OT Retired Comment: Started 93 of 111 games played before retiring after 2005 season. 28. San Francisco R.W. McQuarters CB Active Comment: Versatile if unspectacular, McQuarters helped Giants to Super Bowl XLII victory. 29. Miami John Avery RB CFL Comment: Set Dolphins records as a rookie, but has made his mark in XFL, CFL. 30. Denver Marcus Nash WR AFL Comment: Won Super Bowls with Broncos, Ravens before settling in the AFL.

Highest Paid Offensive Linemen

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:53:22 -0500

It used to be the guys protecting the QB was underpiad but those days have long gone check out these top paid O-linemen